Tasting - CH Chardonnay

Name: Cooper's Hawk Chardonnay
Variety of Grape(s): Chardonnay
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: California
Vintage Year: 2024
Price: $19.99

Fourth in the lineup at the Cooper's Hawk Valentine's Day Tasting, I was looking forward to the Chardonnay. As of writing this, I would consider it my favorite style of wine, and I had been impressed by the Cooper's Hawk brand so far.

Nose: Buttered bread, yeast, grapes, ethanol

The nose was very simple, yet strong and appetizing. I got a strong sense of buttered bread and yeast followed by grape and a bit of an ethanol finish. Overall, nothing too out of the ordinary for a chardonnay, and it was about what I expected.

Taste: Buttery, grapey, ethanol, very fruity, melon, pineapple, apple, yeasty, creamy mouthfeel

The taste was very similar to the nose, followed by more complex flavors I didn't notice on the nose. Again, strong butter, grapes, and ethanol, but followed by a nice fruity medley of melon, pineapple, and apple. The yeasty flavors came back on the finish, but it was a very nice, slightly complex flavor profile that I enjoyed. The mouthfeel was very creamy and enjoyable and I did not want to finish sipping.

Wine Critic Review: From Odedi on Vivino.com (10,144 reviews and 7th in the US)

"A nice surprise. A nice Chardonnay from California. Nicely balanced with light oak and vanilla flavors. Citrus, limes, and grapefruits as well. Medium plus in body and soft. Very drinkable by itself. 85 points. 12.5% alcohol by volume."

I didn't totally agree with Odedi's flavor profile, but he seems to be pretty reputable, so I trust his judgement. Next time, I will search for more of the citrus notes and vanilla. I enjoyed this glass, and I rated it a 3.25/5. At this point, I began to notice the wine was beginning to build up in my stomach and I was curious to see how accurate my reviews would be for the next half of our tasting. Stay tuned to see how well my tastebuds lasted throughout this tasting of eight wines.

Tasting - CH Artist's White Blend

Name: Screen Actors Guild Awards Artist's White Blend
Variety of Grape(s): Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, Moscato, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: California
Vintage Year: 2024
Price: $22.99

This wine was the third wine out of eight at my Cooper's Hawk Winery tasting. Following the Cooper's Hawk White and preceding the Chardonnay, I was met with a very mild, fruity experience that was a good bridge between the two wines.

Nose: Apple, grape, extremely mild, floral, vanilla

The nose was very mild, however I caught a lot of apple and grape notes. Following the fruit, there was a nice floral, oaky, vanilla finish.

Taste: Floral, drier, yogurty, ethanol, lemon, pineapple

The taste was very floral and drier than I expected. I got some notes of yogurt and vanilla, and the ethanol was a bit strong. The finish was very fruity and citrusy with a nice lemon and pineapple flavor.

Wine Critic Review: From Teri Greger on Vivino.com (1145 ratings on the site and 135th in the US)

"Fruity but not sweet, although some sweet wine drinkers may enjoy it! Look for flavors of yellow apple, Meyer lemon, pineapple, white flowers, and cream. Pair this wine with rich seafood and creamy pasta."

The Artist's White Blend was a nice mild mediator between the Cooper's Hawk White and Chardonnay, and though it didn't stand out in any way, it was very nice and a good experience overall. I rate it a 3/5.

Tasting - CH White

Name: Cooper's Hawk White
Variety of Grape(s): Pinot Gris and Riesling
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: Columbia Valley, Washington
Vintage Year: 2024
Price: $17.99

This wine was the second of eight in my Valentine's Day Cooper's Hawk Winery Tasting. It was a very popular wine, being their signature white blend.

The nose was very mild, but had a nice mixture of aromas. I got a nice buttery start with a floral, peachy finish. The taste was very fruity, yet still mild. It had a wonderfully soft mouthfeel, and the experience overall was very nice. I noticed a strong melon flavor off the bat, followed by pear and and faint notes of butter. The melon grew into a specifically strong honeydew flavor, with a floweriness to it.

I found it similar to the previous Blanc de Blanc we tasted, yet a bit milder. I rated it a 3.9/5, and would happily drink it again, probably paired with a buttery pasta dish,

Tasting - CH Blanc de Blanc

Name: Blanc de Blanc
Variety of Grape(s): Chardonnay
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: California
Vintage Year: 2024
Price: $18.99

For Valentine's Day, my girlfriend brought me to her family's favorite winery/restaurant up in Columbus, Ohio, Cooper's Hawk. Fortunately for me, her parents have wine club memberships, and they graciously provided us with a free tasting of 8 of their most popular wines. Unfortunately, I did not get selfies or photos with the bottles, as the bartenders did not allow us to hold the bottles.

Regardless, we started the tasting with their Blanc de Blanc. It was a very beautiful light yellow color with nice bubbles, and it had a wonderful aroma. It was very floral and fruity with a nice hint of vanilla. I noticed peach, green apple, and pear as well.

Wine Critic Review: Frugal Sipper on Vivino.com (897 ratings on the site and 2030th in the US).

"Very green apple forward with some sweetness but clean crisp and enjoyable. Easy drink poolside on a hot day. Like the lack of being punched in the face with citrus. Comparable to Prosecco."

Upon the taste, I got immediate notes of apple, both red and green, as well as peaches and pear. I found the front of the taste to be very similar to the aroma, but it was interesting to see how the flavor evolved over time. It grew into a more grapey and citrusy flavor with new notes of lemon, yet the flavor was very light overall. It was quite sweet, with a surprisingly strong ethanol taste on the finish. 

I really enjoyed this wine, and I rated it a 4/5. It was a strong start to our night, and I was looking forward to the rest of the tasting.

Wine and Cheese Pairing

One thing readers may not be aware of is that I am, in fact, not a geography major. Contrary to assumptions you may have made given my impressive writing style and the highly advanced vocabulary I have employed throughout my blogs, I am also not studying journalism, communications, or even English. Nope, friends, I am an engineering major. Aerospace engineering, to be exact. Now this may come as a shock to you, I know, but when I am not drinking wine or writing about drinking wine, I am, in fact, doing intense amounts of math and calculations related to aircraft and spacecraft.

One thing we engineers are really good at is equations. Let me use some of my engineering talent here and draw you up a quick equation:

[5*(Bottles of wine) + 5*(Cheeses) + 1*(Papa John's Pizza) + 2*Friends*(Immense amounts of Hokie House anticipation) ] / [5*(Hungry, thirsty Friends) ] = A night to remember.

Throughout this blog, I will break down each of these terms to quantify exactly how and why everything went down the way it did.

In anxious anticipation for a night I had been excited for all week, I had to start with the outfit. I started with a nice worn pair of jeans with my comfy sneakers. I then decided to wear my new flannel I got for my birthday. I needed a white undershirt to go with it, but I was feeling extra festive that night, so I decided to put on my special Justin Bieber shirt (gifted for Secret Santa two years ago) that I only bring out on the most special occasions.

Another thing that may come as a surprise is that I really don't like cheese. I have never been a picky eater, and I would eat almost anything placed in front of me, however, I have always a strong dislike for cheese and struggled to enjoy them. Needless to say, this entire pairing was very difficult for me, but I did my best to make the most of it.

We all ended up tasting 5 wines over the course of about 5 hours or so, meaning we were eating and drinking from around 5pm to 10pm. We started with our weekly 2 bottle tastings, followed by the pairing of 3 wines and cheeses. Myself and Nate had not yet eaten, so by the second wine we were starving and ordered a Papa John's pizza. My roommate, Kyle (pictured below) wanted to go to Hokie House after our tasting, and we managed to convince him to be our delivery driver and pick up our pizza on his way over, in exchange for a slice. He ended up hanging out with us for the rest of the tasting, and he even tried a few tastes of our wines, though his go-to drink is a blue motorcycle.

Now, let's get to the wines. We had heard great things about the Malbec, and we decided to decant it before beginning our tastings. Sydney had gotten a new decanter a few hours prior, and we felt it was a great opportunity to try it out.

We opened and poured our Malbec at around 5pm, and didn't get around to tasting it until around 9:30, meaning it had plenty of time to decant. In the meantime, we tasted two chardonnays at varying price points, and began our pairings.

Wine #1

Name: Bell'Agio Chianti

Variety of Grape(s): Sangiovese

Country of Origin: Italy

Region of Origin: Chianti

Vintage Year: 2022

Price: $12.99

Being less familiar with red wines, I found myself struggling a bit to separate the aromas and flavors from these wines. From what I could tell, I noticed a slight sweetness from this Chianti, as well as a small hit of tannins on the finish. Besides that, it really just smelled like red wine to me, and I couldn't pick out much else.

The flavor was delicious. I found it quite sweet and earthy, and following two chardonnays, I found myself latching onto the tannins and enjoying the deeper complexity found within. I got nice notes of wood, moss, and damp earth that I found quite pleasant.

I paired the Chianti with a fontina cheese which I found easiest to get down. The cheese itself was quite milky and creamy with a slight funk to it that I didn't enjoy. Paired with the Chianti, I found the cheese much more pleasant, and I found the wine to be much more mellow. The funk was gone, replaced by a stronger milky, creamy flavor, and the tannins and earthy flavors I enjoyed from the Chianti were brought out much more.

I very much enjoyed this pairing, and I found I was able to enjoy both the wine and the cheese at a deeper level through the combination.

Wine #2

Name: Barefoot Merlot

Variety of Grape(s): Merlot

Country of Origin: United States of America

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: N/A

Price: $6.99

Full transparency, I had a strong bias against barefoot due to previous bad experiences and the opinions of my parents, so I went into this tasting with pretty low expectations overall. Also, this was now my fourth glass of wine, and I felt a stronger need to clear my palate between wines as the night went on. I felt like my taste buds were numbing a bit, and I was struggling to find the individual flavors with this wine.

The aroma was very simple to me. It smelled like tannic grape juice to me. I had no other notes on the aroma, and I found that those flavors overpowered anything else that might be hidden in the aromas.

The flavor was very clear to me. It tasted like someone had tried to turn grape juice into wine. From the instant I first tasted this wine, I noticed the sweetness and sugar with a significant lack of tannins in contrast to the Chianti I was coming from. It was very grapey and fruity with notes of jam and a lack of much needed tannins and acidity to balance the flavor. I kept going back to my initial impression. This tasted like someone made grape juice and then tried to use ancient alchemy to turn it directly into a wine. Unfortunately for me, that person was a bad alchemist and the spells just managed to make a really bad red wine.

I paired it with the fontina again and a sharp cheddar. I found the fontina did not enhance any part of the wine, and the wine didn't enhance any part of the fontina. I really struggled with the cheddar because I found the sharpness extremely off-putting, and the wine did not seem to do much to mask the flavors that repulsed me.

Wine #3

Name: Maipe Casir dos Santos Malbec

Variety of Grape(s): Malbec

Country of Origin: Mendoza

Region of Origin: Argentina

Vintage Year: 2019

Price: $8.99

This bottle was met with intense anticipation. We had left it to decant for a few hours, and taken plenty of photos with the decanter, so it was on all of our minds. The opportunity to finally taste it was exhilarating.

The aroma hit me hard. It was extremely strong and pungent, and I was unsure if I liked it. The first notes I noticed was a metallic aroma that may have been a result of oxidation. I next got notes of salted meats like pepperoni or salami, followed by an off-putting sour or rotten odor that worried me a bit.

I finally tasted the wine, and to my surprise, it was really quite nice. The metallic, rotten odors were not nearly as present, and I was met with a hot, peppery flavor with strong tannins that I felt all the way down. It was very dry and bitter, with notes of tobacco I really enjoyed, and I found myself having an overall pleasant experience tasting this wine.

At this point, I felt it was time for me to finally taste the blue cheese. I had been nervous all night, and I was not fully prepared for what I was about to experience. My friends had seemed to enjoy the pairing, so I thought I may as well try it. I can confirm, I was not prepared for that experience.

As you can see, I had a physical reaction immediately after trying the blue cheese, and to be honest, I was unable to move forward with the rest of the tasting. I have no notes on the cheese and no notes on the pairing, and I spent the rest of the evening drinking water in an attempt to wash the horrible funky taste of the blue cheese out of my mouth.'

Following this awful experience, myself and my friends headed out to go to Hokie House and we had a great night playing pool and darts and trying to ignore the awful experience of that blue cheese.

Wine Dinner 1

For our first wine dinner, we went with a classic cheap college student 3-course dinner. We started with the cheapskate's charcuterie board, cheese and crackers, followed by our entree for the night, Domino's Pizza and a frozen pizza just in case we were still hungry. For dessert, we made some boxed brownies, gluten free for our gf friend Selah! 

We chose an inexpensive Pinot Grigio to pair with our cheese and crackers. We hoped the drier pinot would pair well with creamy mozzarella and goat cheese. I had a chili fig jam we also could try with the cheese and crackers. To pair with our pizza, we chose a merlot, and finally, we chose a sweet red roscato to pair with our chocolate brownies.

Course 1 - Pinot Grigio with cheese and crackers

Name: Debonair Pinot Grigio
Variety of Grape(s): Pinot Grigio
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: California
Vintage Year: 2022
Price: $8.99

Nose: Very fruity, buttery, orange, grapefruit, acidic

Taste: Fruit juice, very light ethanol, grapefruit, pear, acidic, slightly sweet, apple juice, watery mouthfeel

Food: Multigrain crackers with mozzarella and chili fig spread and goat cheese

Pairing: Saltiness of the crackers brings out notes of honey and extra sweetness. With fig spread, wine tastes extra dry and takes away from the overall experience. Goat cheese and fig spread did not pair well, and the wine tasted very dry and funky with the combo, but goat cheese alone on cracker paired very well, better than mozzarella.

My takeaway was overall quite positive. I felt the pinot grigio was a bit sweeter than I would've liked, but it was a good pairing. I will definitely skip the sweet jam in the pairing, but it was great experience that I look forward to repeating.

Course 2 - Merlot with pepperoni pizza

Name: Storyteller Once Upon a Dream Merlot
Variety of Grape(s): Merlot
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: California
Vintage Year: 2022
Price: $13.99

Nose: Leather, tannins, cured meat, tomato, berries, expo marker, menthol

Taste: Fruity, sweet, tannins, blackberry, grape, metallic, pennies, kinda hot, strong ethanol, plum, oak

Food: Supreme pizza from dominos (pepperoni, onions, mushrooms, green peppers), pepperoni red baron

Pairing: Way better. highlights green peppers and olives. Wine tastes a bit sweeter but not overpowering. Ethanol tends to overpower tasting and not very good in general

I found myself struggling overall to enjoy this merlot, even with the pizza pairing. I felt like the ethanol was way too strong to truly enjoy the flavors, and it was a lot sweeter than I expected. It was very fruity with an off-putting metallic flavor, however I felt the fats and oils and the pizza hid some of those less desirable flavors pretty well. With the pizza, the wine was a lot more palatable, but I wouldn't say it was very good. We had decanted it for about 30 minutes as was recommended, but I felt like it didn't do much to enhance the experience positively. I'd be happy to try a similar pairing again in the future, hopefully with a higher quality wine, and a higher quality pizza.

Course 3 - Roscato with chocolate brownies

I am extremely disappointed to say I completely forgot to take my photos with the bottle! I did not succumb and take photos off of the internet, but I encourage you to imagine my smiling face next to a bottle of Italia Roscato.

Name: Italia Roscato Rossa Dolce - Sweet Red
Variety of Grape(s): Lagrein, Teroldego Croatina
Country of Origin: Italy
Region of Origin: Lombardia
Vintage Year: N/A
Price: $17.99

Nose: Not much aroma at all, kinda sweet aroma, a little bit grapey

Taste: Bubbly, very sweet, chocolatey, light tannins, very similar to a moscato, very fruity, pomegranate

Food: Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie

Pairing: Not a good pairing. Sweetness is way overpowering when combined. Fruity notes of roscato clash with chocolate in the brownie. Really bad, to be honest.

I did not like this pairing. In fact, I very much disliked it. I found the overpowering sweetness of the rich chocolatey brownies to be a horrible pairing for the also rich, sweet Roscato. The combination was too much of a good thing, and I found it almost inedible. As someone who prefers less sweet desserts, or rich desserts in very small servings, I chose to enjoy both of my dessert treats one-at-a-time, hoping to minimize the flavor crossover. I did thoroughly enjoy the brownie, and I found the sweet red to be quite nice on its own, but I would much prefer just one to cap off a nice dinner.

Tasting - Quinta De Chocapalha Castelao

Name: Quinta De Chocapalha Castelao
Variety of Grape(s): Castelao
Country of Origin: Portugal
Region of Origin: Lisboa
Vintage Year: 2016
Price: $15

I got this bottle in a bunch as a gift from a friend's parents who had them for a long time and were not planning on drinking them. I have no idea how they were stored, or for how long they had them. Please keep that in mind while reading this blog.

Wine Folly describes Castelaos as fruity with flavors of plum, red currant, and strawberries, but with a combination of dried meat and mocha as well. Castelao is a varietal wine of castelao grapes primarily grown in Portugal.

Wine Critic Review: Taylor Brumble on Vivino.com (268 ratings on the site and 1944th highest in the US).

"Reminds me of cherry cola. Tastes like cherry, raspberry, blackberry, black licorice, vanilla, and cinnamon. Oak in the nose. Great value for 14.99."

To the dismay of myself and friends who were excited to try this wine, things seemed off from the moment we *attempted* to uncork the bottle. When we tried to insert the wine key, we found the cork to be very hard and crumbly, making it difficult to insert properly. Once we dug out a bit of the outer section, we were able to get a good enough grip and begin to uncork the bottle. Halfway through the removal, the cork snapped in half and crumbled into bits.

We hoped that despite this apparent issue, the wine itself was still fine. The truth was revealed to us when we got the first whiff of the wine from the bottle. It wasn't awful, but there was a funk to it that reminded us of fertilized dirt or loam. There was also the unmistakable odor of vinegar coming from the bottle as well that told us the wine had spoiled. We decided to taste it anyway and spit it out if it was horrible.

In the glass, nothing appeared off about the wine. It was a deep dark red with minimal particles suspended when shining a light through, and it looked quite appetizing. Besides the off odors, the aroma was very fruity, and I noticed plum and oaky notes.

The flavor was also not horrible. The funkiness was there, and I could tell it was spoiled, but it wasn't sickening. It tasted like red wine vinegar, and was extremely bitter with strong tannins. The other flavors seemed to have long since left the bottle, and it just tasted like funky bad vinegar.

This 2016 Quinta De Chocapalha Castelao gets a 0/5 for this tasting. This was difficult to critically analyze, and it pains me to even call it a wine. If I were to see a fresh bottle of Castelao on the store shelves, I'd be happy to buy it and give it another go, but it will definitely have to overcome this bad memory. Like a regretful lover, I'd love another chance to treat this wine better, but like a disgraced ex, it would take a lot to make up for this awful experience.

Tasting - Cooper's Hawk Almond

Name: Cooper's Hawk Almond
Variety of Grape(s): Chardonnay, Colombard
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: Woodridge, IL
Vintage Year: N/A
Price: $18.99

https://chwinery.com/wine/catalog/almond

I spent the summer of 2024 in the wonderful city of Columbus, Ohio, where I got to experience the unmatched food and beverage scene the area has to offer. I travelled to numerous speakeasies and had too many variations of Old Fashioned and the Whiskey Sour to count, but one of the most surprising flavor experiences I had was when a friend I met at one speakeasy introduced me to the Cooper's Hawk Almond sparkling wine.

I hadn't yet had much experience with sparkling wines, but I knew I didn't prefer sweeter wines, and this almond-flavored wine had me perplexed. To me, it seemed to be quite the odd flavor combination, but when I was shocked by how addictive it was when I tried it for the first time. When I returned to school for the spring 2025 semester, I knew I had to taste it in this class.

According to Cooper's Hawk's website, their Almond sparkling wine is made from their Blanc de Blanc Champagne with added "almond essence". The site states that the almond essence is not made with almonds, but regardless, it pairs wonderfully with the sweeter fruity notes from the champagne.

Wine Critic Review: According to David D. on Vivino.com (1522 ratings on the site and 80th highest in the US):

"4.1 - Dry sparkling, with almond and light brioche notes. It's a flavored wine, but not in an overpowering way. Simple, but tasty and delicious"

On the nose, I immediately got a ton of strong aromas. Unsurprisingly, the strongest notes were of almond, but I also some strong cherry notes as well reminiscent of amaretto. There were distinct flavors of maraschino and sour cherry, as well as apple, pear, and sour grape notes. The scent left me with notes of vanilla, cheesecake, pie crust, and graham cracker.

Taste: Very mild, kinda dry, grapey, citrus, almond, cherry, vanilla, appley, fruity on the front, not very sweet, kinda sweet

The taste was quite mild, yet complex. Though the flavor is artificially added, it integrates well with the fruity notes of the wine. First notes are grapey, citrusy, with a hint of that almond, slowly followed by the cherry, vanilla and almond notes. The finish is very nice with those cakey, graham cracker flavors. Overall, the wine is a bit sweet without being overpowering.

I am a big fan of this wine, and I would give it a 4/5. I'd love to enjoy it as a nightcap after a night out, or as a nice before-dinner treat.

Tasting - Bonterra Chardonnay

Name: Bonterra Chardonnay
Variety of Grape(s): Chardonnay
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: Mendocino, California
Vintage Year: 2022
Price: $16

Following the disaster that was the previous wine on tonight's tasting menu (Bay Bridge Chardonnay), I was really hoping that my experience could only improve. Looking at the nice artwork and clean layout of the label, along with the ~5x cost increase, my hopes were high for the Bonterra Chardonnay.

According to Wine Folly, Chardonnays typically have strong fruity characteristics, with some sweetness and butter notes on top (Page 96). Flavors can range from tropical fruits to tree fruits, to citrus fruits, with some nice earthy and woody notes brought out through aging in oak barrels (Page 97).

Wine Critic Review: According to Matrix on Vivino.com (1480 ratings on the site and 143rd highest in Sweden):

"3.9 - lovely flowery Californian Chardonnay to grilled chicken and mango avocado salad. Tropical aromas on the nose, peach and apple on the palate. #willbuyagain #caribbean"

The first thing I noticed when smelling the aromas of this wine was the similarity to the previous one. It still starts with a strong green apple, citrusy smell with a hint of yeastiness, but it was much more mild without the odd funk of the Bay Bridge. There was a nice mild oaky finish to the scent that left a nice cozy feeling and had me wanting a second sniff.

The initial taste nicely followed the aromas starting off with citrus and tree fruits, but with a very nice sweet finish of oaky, buttery vanilla. Overall, the wine tasted well balanced with minimal harshness and an overall mild flavor. It felt a bit viscous, with the buttery flavor lingering long past the fruity flavors. Overall, it was a very nice, smooth experience overall.

This Bonterra reminded me why Chardonnay was my favorite wine and dispelled the nausea I had going into this second tasting of the night following the Bay Bridge tasting. I rate it a 4/5 and overall a really great experience. Personally, I'd prefer if it was a bit less acidic on the front end, but I felt the finish was very nice and smooth. This is the kind of wine I would love to sip over the course of an evening, or pair with a nice fish. Instead of fish, I ordered a Papa John's large Hawaiian pizza, that arrived just in time to finish my glass with. I was honestly surprised by the way the two complimented each other. I felt the greasiness of the pizza masked some of the butteriness of the wine to allow the fruity flavors to show stronger for longer. With the addition of the pineapple, I was able to key in to some of the tropical flavors of the chardonnay, and I felt I was able to appreciate more complexity in the fruity flavors than I had before. I was honestly shocked by this pairing and I am eager to pair a higher quality pizza with other wines to explore more flavor combinations.

Tasting - Bay Bridge American Chardonnay

Name: Bay Bridge American Chardonnay
Variety of Grape(s): Chardonnay
Country of Origin: United States of America
Region of Origin: Central Valley California
Vintage Year: None
Price: $3.99

Historically, chardonnay has been my go-to wine. I have only been drinking for the past year and a half, so I felt like it was a good intro wine with an easy drink and a nice flavor profile. Tonight, we tasted two chardonnays at different price points. Our first was the Bay Bridge, at the low price of $3.99 (cheaper than a Hokie water!), meaning each glass was only about $0.80. The poor college kid in me rejoiced at this price point. This has to be one of the cheapest ways to get drunk! However, every other part of myself told me to steer clear from whatever awful experience an $0.80 glass of wine would bring.

According to Wine Folly, Chardonnays typically have strong fruity characteristics, with some sweetness and butter notes on top (Page 96). Flavors can range from tropical fruits to tree fruits, to citrus fruits, with some nice earthy and woody notes brought out through aging in oak barrels (Page 97).

Wine Critic Review: According to Catalin G. on Vivino.com (153 ratings on the site at 82nd highest in Moldova):

"There are bad wines, really bad wines and then there's this wine. It's so bad that even freezing it and drinking it ice cold doesn't help."

After I got the first whiff of this wine, I was already leaning towards Catalin's take. Behind some tamer sour grape notes, there was this off-putting bile scent that overpowered everything else. I found myself hesitating to swirl my glass to give myself a reprieve from the nauseating odor.

Fortunately, though the taste was far from wonderful, it wasn't as bad as the scent. There was a strong imbalance leaning towards acidity with strong flavors of sour grape and citrus fruit. At the same time, I noticed a similar off-putting yeasty flavor that reminded me of spoiled yogurt or rotten meat. These flavors covered up most other desirable flavors of apple and pear that I only noticed on the first taste. I did not pair any kind of snack with it in order minimize any tainting of the true taste of the wine, which I later grew to regret.

I'd say this wine was not good. Quite bad, actually. I give it a 1.5/5 rating because though it was bad, I was still able to stomach it and get a full glass down. This was a bit of a mistake, however, because following this tasting, I had a second chardonnay tasting, and 3 wine and cheese pairings. This was not a good base for the rest of the night, and it made the thought of putting anything else into my stomach as nauseating as the wine itself.